Advocacy for TCK
Engaging people with lived experience as consultants and advisors to help improve the delivery of services we now offer.
Advocacy is one of the 5 pillars of our Strategic Plan.
We are maintaining connection to this pillar through collation work to prepare for a full program launch by the end of 2024.
Advocacy
Among our goals for this program, will be selecting people who have lived with the experience of food insecurity. We want their input as consultants, advisors and/or someone who might have a better way of doing the things we do, because they’ve been the recipient of organizations like The Community Kitchen.
We are making efforts to buld a local, sustainable and equitable food system in this region and need leaders who can help our goal of becoming a leading resource to other organizations in the area.
Additionally, we are developing advocates to offer peer to peer resource connections, reporting services and to help shape boards as they prepare for careers in food and resource access work. We are especially excited to help develop skills in storytelling, policy shaping and advocating to our decision makers.
The Community Kitchen works to meet immediate food needs in the region as we move towards our vision of a community where everyone has consistent access to the nutrition they choose to be healthy and well… We have planted a small program seed with that intention:
Community Ambassador for Food Equity: CAFÉ
- Mission: To develop a Community Food Security (CFS) advocacy training program with and for people who have experienced or are experiencing food insecurity and to strategically deploy trained advocates throughout the Monadnock Region.
- Vision: People with lived experience of food insecurity will take a leading role in helping the Monadnock region to achieve community food security and align with larger goals:
- NE Food Solutions agenda to achieve 30% of food consumed in New England is produced in New England by 2030 & 50% of food consumed in NE is produced in NE by 2060.
- The current administration’s strategy to end hunger in America and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030.
- The UN’s Zero Hunger initiative to end hunger and make sure that enough nutritious foods are available to people by 2030.
*CFS is defined as a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice” (Hamm and Bellows 2003)
The development of this program is an action item in the Monadnock Farm and Community Coaltion’s Food Access Plan.
We are part of NH Food Councils & Coalitions (nhhungersolutions.org)
We are members of the Healthy Monadnock Alliance, addressing this work through a public health framework.
We are open to *anyone* who is interested in using their experiences to help make it easier for people to access the nutrition they choose to be healthy and well in our community.
Advocacy activities can range from responding to surveys to starting agribusinesses! Ambassadors can engage in food production, distribution, or preparation; they can also engage in storytelling through writing, speaking, being interviewed, giving testimony at hearings or one on one meetings with legislators, presenting; they can engage in peer support or sit on boards…
As we train ambassadors, we will build our reputation as a resource for any entity or individual interested in supporting community food security.
Experience IS Expertise!!
We are looking for people who have experienced food insecurity to join our advocacy team (Community Ambassadors for Food Equity: CAFÉ).
The team will meet on a monthly basis to talk about our local food system and the supports available for people in our region. We will develop training to engage you in making change in a variety of ways. Your time will always be compensated.
Interested in Helping?
Please fill out the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.